Machine for bending printing plates



Aug. 30, 1927.

C. N. SMITH MACHINE FOR BENDING PRINTING PLATES Filed April 12. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheetl c. N. SMITH v MACHINE FOR BENDING' PRINTING PLATES Filed April 12, 1926 3 h et 2 30 192 4 Aug 7 c. N. SMITH MACHINE FOR BENDING PRINTING PLATES Filed April 12. 1926 :5 Sheets-Sneet3 Patented Aug. 30, v 1927.

I UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN N. SMITH, oFnLoIN, ILLINOIS; ALICE MINNIE'SMITH AND LILY IRENE SMITH EXEGUTRICES or SAID CHRISTIAN n. SMITH, DECEASED.

MACHINE FOR BENDING PRINTING PLATES.

Application filed April 12, 1926. Serial No. 101,404.

This invention relates to that class of machines torbendlng metallic printing plates, in which a rotativeprinting-plate bending roll is mounted in position to extend over a plate-supporting bed, and a flexible sheet metal plate is interposed between the rotative plate-bending roll and platesupporting bed, one extremity of such flexible plate or sheet being attached to the roll, and the other extremity to a suitable support, whereby a metallic printing plate to be bent may be placed between the flexible plate and the bending roll and bent by rotating the'bending roll while the flexible sheet is held stretched at a tension in position to be bent around the outside of andwith the printing plate and between the roll and bed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical and eflicient machine for bending metallic V printing plates. I

A further object of the'invention is to pro vi'de a machine for bending metallic'printing plates which is adapted to permit a printing plateto be held between a rotative platebending roll and a plate-supporting bed by means of a flexible metallic sheet or plate one end of which is attached to the bending roll and theother end of which is attached to a suitable support, whereby such flexible sheet is held at a tension and coacts with the bed in holding the printing plate between the roll and bed during the operation of bending the plate. 7

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from the following description and claims, and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings.

The invention consists in the features, combinations, details of construction andarrangement of parts herein described and claimed. I

In'the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a machine for bending metallic printing plates, constructed in accordance'with my invention I Fi 2 is a plan viewof the machine shown in Fig. 1; r

Fig. 3 is view in end elevation, showing a back end view of the machine as it would appear when viewed from the right of Figs. 1 and 2; I

Fig. 4 is a View in central longitudinal section taken on line 4P4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and showing the construction and arrangement of the rotative bending roll, the printing-plate supporting bed, the flexible metallic sheet or plate of sheet metal extending between the roll and bed and having one end of the said flexible sheet attached to the roll and the other end flexibly connected with a sheet shown in side elevation on said bending roll. I

In constructing a machine for bending metallic printing plates in accordance with my invention, I provide a frame 1 having upsupport in front of the roll and bed, and cright legs or "frame members 2, transverse frame members 3, and longitudinal frame members or tie rods 4 and 5 which extend along opposite sides of the machine and con .nect the legs,.all forminga strong rigid frame which may be of any desired ordinary and wellknown or suitable form.

A printing-plate supporting bed 6 is mounted on and may form a partof the frame of the machine. The said bedis disposed horizontally and has a fiat horizontal top surface. Located on oppositesides of the bed 6 are parallel horizontalcarriagesupporting tracks 7, 7, which may be formed integral with the printing-plate supporting bed. Rotatively mounted on a bending-roll supporting carriage 8, which is slidably supported on and adapted totravel lengthwise of the tracks 7, 7, and from end to end of the printing-plate supporting bed 6, is a print- 10 to be operated upon or bent, and-a flexible metallic sheet or metallic backing plate 11, and suitable non-metallic sheets or pads of compressible or fibrous material, including a moistened pad or sheet of fibrous mater al, such, for example, as moistened blotter pad material, and one or more dry sheets or pads of compressible moisture absorbing material,

if desired, between said roll and bed.

One end of the flexible metallic backing sheet 11 is secured to the periphery of the horizontal rotative plate-bending roll or cylinder 9, by suitable securing means, such, for example, as a flat metallic securing strip 12 which extends longitudinally ofthe bench ing roll 9 and along and over the end margin of the flexible metallic sheet or late 11, and is secured to the periphery of the bending roll by means of screws 1?- or other suitable securing means, there being a similar metallic strip 14 mounted on the periphery of the bending roll 9 in parallel relation to the securing strip 12' but between the flexible metallic sheet 11 and the surface of said bending roll. The strip 14 which is interposed between the flexible sheet 11 and the bending roll, is adapted to engage the adjacent. edge or end mar in of the metallic printing plate 10, when such printing plate is inserted between the flexible sheet 11 and the bending roll, and hold said margin in its proper position in removable engagement with the peripheral surface of the bending roll. The inner strip 1 1 is of sufficient thickness to serve as a gage for positioning the metallic printing plate to be bent, and is adapted to permit the flexible sheet- 11 to extend outside of and over .said metallic strip or gage 14 and over the entire outer or printing face of the metallic printing plate located between said flexible sheet and bendthe printing plate.

The opposite or front edge or end margin 15 0f the flexible metallic backing plate or sheet 11 is secured to a stationary support, such, for example, as the forward part 16 of the frame 1 or bed 6, by suitable securing means which is, by preference, adapted to form a yielding connection between the sheet 11 and such support.

A transverse stud-supporting member or bar'li is secured to or may form a part of the stationary support 16 with which the flexible backing sheet 11 is to be connected. Mounted in suitable horizontal openings in said bar 17-is a series of spring-pressed studs or bolts 18, the outer ends of which are provided with nuts or heads 19 thereon, and the inner ends of which are secured to the forward edge or end margin 15 of said flexible backing sheet 11.

The inner ends of the studs or bolts 18 are secured to the sheet 11, by preference, as follows: A: lower forward clamping memher or bar 20 having an inner marginal flange or projection 21 which is adapted toextend under the forward end'margin of the flexible backing sheet 11, is mounted in a recessed portion 22 in the forward part of the bed or frame and extends transversely across the bed and beneath said forward end margin of said flexible sheet 11. A top clamping strip or bar 28 is secured to the said forward clamping member or bar" 20 by means .of screws 2% which extend through suitable perforations in the forward margin 15 of the flexible backing sheetll which is interposed between said strips or clamping bars 20 and 23, so thatsaid margin 15 is securely clamped between said bars 20 and And the studs or bolts 18 have their inner ends secured to the clamping bar 20 which is provided with screw threaded opens ings into which the similarly threaded inner ends'ofsaid studs or bolts 18 extend. Compression springs 25 are interposed between the nuts or heads 19 of the studs 18 and the perforated studsupporting bar 17, and encircle said studs. These springs thus tend to press the studs 18 outward or forward, and exert a constant forward yielding pres' sure upon. said studs. The springs and spring-pressed studs thus constantly tend to pull the forward margin of the flexible backing sheet 11 forward and act to stretch said flexible backing sheet and hold it constantly stretched and at a tension but yieldingly connected with the stationary support. The plate-bending roll or cylinder-'9 may be in the form of a hollow drum having end walls or heads 26 at its opposite ends. Spur gears 27 are fixed to the opposite ends of the drum,'or may be formed integrally with the drum heads 26, and are in toothed engagement with a pair of parallel horizontal toothed racks 28, 28, mounted on opposite sides of the bed 6, and, by preference, flxed to the tracks 7 and the side margins of the bed. The toothed racks extend lo: gitudinally of the bet and tracks; and the toothed racks and gears are thus adapted to cause the bending roll9 to rotate in one direction, so as to cause the flexible backing sheet 11 to be wrapped or wound arounil that part the periphery of the bending roll upon which the metallic printing plate is to be bent, as thebending roll and the carriage on which. it is supported move to ward the front of the machine and bedand so as to cause the flexible backing sheet to be unwound from the bending roll a release the curved or bent printing plate cated between the bending roll and Sit, flexible sheet, when the bending roll and supporting carriage are moved in an opposite direction, or toward the rear end of thrmachine and plate-supporting bed. The compression sp n s 25 being constantly at a tension, tend to stretch and yieldingly held the flexible'sheet 11 taut during the opera tion of bending the printing plate between the flexible sheet and bending roll, and during the movement of the bending roll and carriage in the direction necessary torelease the bent printing plate and-to unwind the flexible backing sheet. And the springs and spring-pressed studs are so connected w th the flexible backing sheet as to permit the forward or attached end of the latter. to move back a short distance during the operation of bending the printing plate and winding the flexible backing sheet onto the roll, and to move forward to initial position as the roll is moved in an opposite direction to release the printing plate and unwind said sheet. I v

The bending roll 9 is provided with an axle 29, the opposite ends of which are rotatively supported in suitable bearing blocks 30, which are slidably supported on or between parallel ways or guides 31, 32 on the upright end frames of the carriage 8, said end frames being connected by one or more transverse c arriage frame members or bars 33, which may extend transversely across and beneath the bed and carriage-supporting tracks. vTheend frames 34 of the carriage 8 are thus rigidly connected, and a roll-supporting carriage having the required rigidity and strength is obtained. The carriage 8 is provided with bottom end flanges 35 which extend beneath and in sliding engagement with the bottom faces of the tracks 7 on opposite sides ofthe bed 6, and serve to hold the carriage down in its proper position with respect to the bed notwithstanding the heavy strains to which the carriage and bending roll are subjected in theoperation of bending printing plates upon the bending roll or between said roll and the flexible backing sheet and bed.

Suitable means is provided for driving the carriage 8 and rotating the bending roll 9 in opposite directions alternately, as required in the operations of bending printing plates and releasing the same, in accordance with my invention, and may be constructed as follows: A horizontal shaft is journaled in suitable hearings in the upright end frames 34 of the carriage 8, and provided with a pair of spur gear wheels or pinions36, 36,

fixed to said shaft and each adapted to engage an adjacent spur gearv wheel 27 on the rotative bending roll 9 already described. Fixed to the shaft 35 is a worm wheel 37 and a worm 38 is mounted on and rotative with but adapted to move longitudinally of a horizontal driven shaft 39, which is provided with an elongated spline 40 adapted to slidably engage the worm 38, which is pro-' vided with a suitable key way or slot for receiving and slidably engaging said spline.

The worm 38 is in toothed engagement with the worm wheel 37, and is adapted to move with the carriage and plate-bending roll longitudinally of the shaft 39 while the V worm is being rotated by saidshaft. The worm shaft 39 is intended and adapted to be rotated in opposite directions alternately, or

known or suitable form, adapted to enable.

said worm shaft 39 and the carriage 8 and the plate-bending roll 9 on said carriage to be started, stopped and reversed, or operated in opposite directions alternately, as desired. The means for connecting the worm shaft with the motor or source of power, and for starting, stopping and reversing the direction of rotation of said shaft 39 and the direction of movement of the carriage and the bending roll thereon, may be constructed, for example, as follows: d

An electric motor 41, which may be of the reversible type, such, for example,.as a reversible direct current motor, is provided and mounted upon a suitable support 42 on or forming a part of the frame of the ma- 1 chine. A belt pulley 43 is fixed to the worm :Z-hait 39; and a belt pulley 44 is fixed to the main driving or power shaft 45 which may be the motor shaft or may be connected with the motor shaft either directly or indirectly by any ordinary and well known" form of connecting or driving mechanismadapted to enable the direction of rotation of the shaft 39 to be reversed either automatically or otherwise. A belt 46 on said belt pulleys, serves in connection with the pulleys, to con nect said shaft 39 with the motor or source of power. f v

A starting motor 47, which maybe of any ordinary and well known or suitable form,

is operatively connected with the motor 41, and provided with suitable switch mechanism for starting, stopping and reversing the motor 41, coinpri sing a starting, stopping and lGVQlflillg switch lever 48-which is operatively connected with a. manually operable shifting or stopping, starting and reversing hand'lcver 49 by means of a connecting rod 50. said lever 48 being connected with suitable switch mechanism adapted to enable the motor 41 to be started, stopped and reversed, as desired. The starting motor 47 and the switch mechanism connected therewith, are operatively connected with the motor 41 by means of electric conductors 51 and 52, or other suitable connecting means adapted to enable the motor41 andthe driven shaft 39 be started, stopped and reversed, as desired. Or any ordinary and well known or de'ired mechanical means for driving and reversing the direction of rotation of the worm shaf and fol-connecting said shaft with 0-1 any ordinary or suitable source of power :v be employed. As such driving and rewing mechanism isin common use and well known in the art to which this invention relates, it is deemed unnecessary and undesirable that the same should be further described or illustrated herein.

Means is provided for operatively connecting the starting, stopping and reversing mechanism, including the switch mechanism above described, with the carriage whereby the lever 49, connecting rod 50, switch arm 48, and switch mechanism and reversing mechanism may be automatically operated by the iovable carriage 8, and whereby said carriage may be started and automatically stopped, and reversed. In order to enable this to be accomplished a switch-operating bracket arm or tripping member 53 is mounted on the carr re 8 in position to slidably engage the switch-operating connecting rod and to move lengthwise of said connecting rod between stops 54 and which are adjustably mounted upon and adapted to be fixed to said rod. The rear stop 55 is thus adapted to be engaged by the bracket arm 53 when the bending-roll supporting ca'rriage 8 reaches the desired position at thc rear extremity of its path of movement, thereby tripping the rod 50 and causing the hand lever 49 and switch arm or lever 48 to be operated in one direction, to stop the carriage. In practice, the carriage is reversed or started by manually operating the hand lever 49. When the carriage is thus started after having been stopped at the end of its rearward movement and caused to move forward, the tripping bracket arm 53 will engage the forward tripping stop 54 on the rod 50 when the carriage reaches the limit of its forward movement, thus causing the hand lever 49 and switch lever arm 48 to be automatically operated in the direction necessary to automatically stop the carriage. The bending of the metallic printing plate having thus been a'ccom1: lished, the hand lever L9 is again operated manually to cause the carriage to move rearward to plate-releasing position. The curved or bent printing plate is then removed from the bending roll and another inserted, and the operation repeated, and so on for as many times as may be desired.

The flexible metallic sheet 11 serves as an outer backing sheet and is of sufficient length to cover the entire bottom side of the metallic plate to be bent and extend forward be yond the front edge of the metallic printing plate and to the front margin of the bed of the machine where said sheet 11 is attached to the machine frame or bed as already described.

A similar inner flexible metallic backing sheet 56 is by preference interposed between the outer flexible backing sheet 11 and the metallic printing plate to be bent, said printing plate being between the sheet 56 and the peripheral surface of the bending roll.

ng sheet and to permit the metallic sheets 11 and 56 to be pressed inward toward the metallic printing plate during the operation of heating and bending the same. The elastic compressible sheet 57, however, acts to' hold said metallic plates spaced apart and in yielding relation to each other. Said metallic backing sheets act to prevent the rubbery elastic cushioning sheet 57 from crawling and from spreading in direct contact with the metallic printing plate or any sheet material which may be interposed between the sheet 56 and the metallic printing plate. The sheets 11, 56 and 57 serve together to form an armoured or laminated backing plate or structure, or set of backing sheets having the quality of being compressible without causing or permitting either of the on layers thereof to spread or crawl in the operation of either bending or heating and bending a metallicprinting-plate.

I also, by preference, place one or more sheets of compressible material including a sheet of moisture-containing material, such as moist paper pulp or similar moistened material 58 between the metallic printing plate and the inner metallic backing sheet 56.

The sheet 58 of paper pulp or similar compressible material in a moist'or plastic con.- dition is, by'preference, spread in contact with the entire printing side or surface of the metallic printing plate to be bent or heated and bent, and maybe said to form a temporary matrix or matrix-like sheet of compressible moisture-containing material, which is compressed and bent against and with the metallic printing plate progressively, and may be dried or partially dried during the operation of bending or heating and bending the metallic printing plate. A sheet of absorbent material 59 in a dry or relatively dry condition as compared with the moisture-containing sheet 58, is laid in conta'ct'with the latter, and, by preferenre on the outside of the said inoisture-contain-- ing sheet. And a flexible sheet of rubber or similar material 60, which is, by preference, softer than the metallic sheet and harder than the sheet 59 is interposed between the metallic sheet 56 and the compressible sheet 59 of absorbent material. The sheet 59 may be formed of dry wool fell, or blotting paper, or similar absorbent cornpressible material.

In operation the metallic printing plate is bent while in contact with the moisture-- containing sheet 58 which is compressed ar i printing suriaceoi the metallic printing plate, so as to fill all of the interstices and' depressions and recesses in the printing side of said printing plate, and form a matrixlike structure which 1 3 iJQI1t- ZLHCl partially dried while in contact with the printing side of the printing plate and simultaneously with the bendingor heating and bending of the latter.

" cold, or may be heated and bent while in a heated condition. And the heating of the printing plate may be accomplished by heating the bending roll, or by heating the bed, or by heating both of said elements, by-heatlng means which may be of any ordinary and well known or desired form, such, for

. example, as agas burner or other suitable heating means, 7

As such heating means are in common use and well known in the art it is deemed un-' necessary to describe the same in detail herein. 7 e v I claim:

1. In a machine for bending metallic. printing plates, the combination of a bed, a

carriage movably mounted and adapted to travel over the bed, a plate-bending roll rotatively mounted on and movable with said carriage, a sheet having one end attached to the periphery of said bending roll, said sheet being adapted to eXtend between the bed and the bottom surface of the bending roll and acting to admit a metallic printing plate between said flexible sheet and the bendlng roll, a stationary sheet-holding member connected with the opposite end of sald flexlble metallic backing sheet and acting to hold said flexible sheet taut, a spur gear fixed to said bending roll, a toothed rack supported independently of the carriage and in toothed engagement with said spur gear, a spur gear rotatively supported on the carriage and 1n toothed engagement'with'a spur gear on said bending roll, and means for rotating said last-mentioned spur gear.

2.1n a machine for bending metallic printing plates, the combination'of a bed, a carriage movably mounted and adapted to travel over the bed, a plate-bending roll rotatively mounted on and movable with the carriage, having one end attached to the perlphery of said bending roll, said sheet being adapted to extend between the bed and the bottom surface of the bending roll and acting to admit a metallic printing plate between the flexible sheet and the bending roll, a stationary sheet-holding memberconnected with 1 flexible metallic backing a flexible metallic backing sheet the-opposite endoi said flexible backing sheet and acting to stretch and hold the same taut, toothed gear mechanism onand rotative with said bending roll, ashait rotatively mount-Q ed on the carriage in parallel relation to the bending roll, a toothed gear on said shaft and in'toothed engagement'with the gear mechanism on the bending roll, for rotatin the bending roll, means for rotating said shaft, and a toothed rack mounted independently or" the carriage and in toothed engagement with the gear mechanism on the bending roll and adapted to cause the carv riage to travel over thebed when the bend The metallic printlng plate may be bent i ing roll is rotated.

printing plates,the eombination-of'abed, a-

carriage' movably mounted and adapted to travel over the bed, a plate-bending roll rotatively mounted on and movable with the carriage, a flexiblemetallic backing sheet having one end attached to said bending roll, said sheet being adapted to extend between the bed and the bottom surface of the bending roll a'ndto admit a metallic printing plate between the flexible. sheet and.

bending roll, a stationary sheet-holding member connected with the opposite end of said flexible backing sheet and acting to stretch and hold the same taut, toothed gearv mechanism on and rotative with said bending roll,-a toothed rack mounted independ' ently of the carriage and in toothed engagement with said gear mechanism, a shaftv rctatitely mounted on the carriage, a toothed gear on said shaft and in toothed engagement with the gear mechanism on the bending roll, a worm wheel on said shaft, a worm in toothed engagement with said worm wheel, a worm shaft mounted independently of the carriage and in operative engagement with said worm, for rotating the same, and means for rotating said worm shaft.

4. In a machine for bending metallic printing plates, the combination of a bed, a carriage inovably mountedand adapted to travel over the bed, a plate-bending roll rotatively supported on and movable with the carriage, a flexible metallic backing sheet adapted to extend between the bending roll and bed and having one end attached to the bending roll, said flexible sheet being adapted to admit and hold a metallic printing plate between the periphery of the bending roll and said sheet, a stationary support, means for attaching the opposite end of said backing sheetto said stationary support, a sheet of compressible moisture-containing material in contact with the printing side of the print ng plate and adapted to fill the interstices and depressions in the latter, a sheet of flexible absorbent material between said moisture-containing sheet and the flexible metallic backing sheet, and means for operating the carriage and rotating the bending roll in opposite directions successively. Y

a 5; In a machine for bending metallic printing plates, the combination of a bed, a

- carriage movably mounted and adapted to travel over the bed, a plate-bending roll rotatively supported onv and movable with said carriage, a flexible metallic backing sheet adapted to extend between the bending roll and bed and having one end attached to the bending roll, said flexible sheet being adapted to receive a metallic printing plate between the periphery of thebending roll and said sheet, a stationary support, means for attaching the opposite end of said flexible metallic backing sheet to said stationarysupport, a sheet of compressible moisture-containing material in contact with the absorbent material and the outer flexible metallic backing sheet, and means for operating the carriage and rotating the bending roll.

6. In a machine for bending metallic printing plates, the combination of a bed, a carriage movably mounted and adapted to travel over the bed, a plate-bending roll rotatively mounted on and movable with the carriage, a flexible metallic backing sheet having one end attached to said bending roll, saidj sheet being adapted to extend between the bedv and the bottom surface of the bending roll and acting to admit and hold a metallic printing plate between the flexible sheet and bending roll, a stationary sheet-holding member located adjacent to the opposite endof said flexible sheet, resilient connecting means forming a yielding connection between said stationary sheet-holding member and said flexible sheet, toothed gear mechanism on and rotative with said bending roll, a toothed raekmounted independently of the carriage and in operative engagement with said gear mechanism, a shaft rotatlvelyf mounted on the carriage, a gear on said shaft and inrtoothed engagement with the gear mechanism on the bending roll, a worm wheel on said shaft, a worm in engagement with said worm wheel, a worm shaft rotatively' mounted independently of the car riage and in operative engagement with and adapted to rotate said worm, said worm shaft being adapted to permlt the said worm to movewith the carriage longitudinally of the worm shaft, and means for rotating said worm shaft nately.

Signed at Elgin, in the county of Kane in opposite directions alterand State of Illinois, this 28rd day of March,

' CHRISTIAN N. SMITH. 

